Medicine in the Ancient World

Freie Universität Berlin

Information

Course Type
SE
Semester
SoSe 2024
Location
Arnim 10, Raum 010
SWS
2
Start
Frequency
wöchentlich
Day
Do
Time
10-12
E-Mail
cale.johnson@fu-berlin.de

Details

The course will survey the development of medicine in Mesopotamia, draw important parallels with contemporary Egyptian medical practice, and also look at the spread of originally Mesopotamian traditions into several Aramaic dialects. These materials and traditions represent the most important examples of disciplinary medicine prior to the advent of Greco-Roman medicine and we will also look at any possible links between these traditions and the Greco-Roman world. We will focus in particular on the emergence of technical literature in Mesopotamia, how technical compendia anchored specific disciplines and indoctrinated its would-be practitioners, and the specific pathways through which these materials were transmitted to other medical traditions. There is a companion reading seminar for those interested in reading some texts in the original cuneiform. The course will survey the development of medicine in Mesopotamia, draw important parallels with contemporary Egyptian medical practice, and also look at the spread of originally Mesopotamian traditions into several Aramaic dialects. These materials and traditions represent the most important examples of disciplinary medicine prior to the advent of Greco-Roman medicine and we will also look at any possible links between these traditions and the Greco-Roman world. We will focus in particular on the emergence of technical literature in Mesopotamia, how technical compendia anchored specific disciplines and indoctrinated its would-be practitioners, and the specific pathways through which these materials were transmitted to other medical traditions. There is a companion reading seminar for those interested in reading some texts in the original cuneiform. This course will be taught in English, 2 hours per week.